RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 12, 2023 16:20:34 GMT -5
Colorful flakes of petrified wood are sometimes found on these trips. The one at six o'clock is coprolite. These were all produced by ancient Americans making tools
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RWA3006
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Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,217
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Post by RWA3006 on May 12, 2023 16:21:01 GMT -5
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Post by RickB on May 12, 2023 17:00:29 GMT -5
Last week I went coprolite hunting and found some. I have become extremely selective and now days I leave over 99% of what I find because I have a lot already. My mentor, Denzil Hammer got quite a few many decades ago and I bought his collection when he retired a few years back. I don't think it would be good for me to over harvest so now days I go out mostly for the adventure. A quest for the perfect turd.
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 13, 2023 21:29:51 GMT -5
Pet wood flakes and a small coprolite as I found them.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 14, 2023 8:26:09 GMT -5
Excellent pictures, Randy! Thanks for posting them.
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RWA3006
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Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,217
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Post by RWA3006 on May 14, 2023 11:24:48 GMT -5
Here's an interesting view. Can you interpret what we're looking at in this shot?
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Post by RickB on May 14, 2023 11:37:40 GMT -5
A coprolite alongside a cowpoolite - similar shapes
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 14, 2023 19:55:01 GMT -5
A coprolite alongside a cowpoolite - similar shapes Yes, the coprolites at 9 & 12 o'clock are similar to the cow poo in shape even though there's a time span of about 146 million years between the two. Some things don't change so much after a long time.
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 15, 2023 8:52:27 GMT -5
In the land of Utah coprolite it's common to find cores, spalls and flakes where the ancients worked on them to get sharp material from the agatized coprolites.
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 15, 2023 8:53:40 GMT -5
The dark bottom one above is pet wood found along side it's coprolite brother.
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 15, 2023 9:00:06 GMT -5
Somehow it seemed appropriate to place a few artifacts in a hidden grotto a few yards from where they were found.
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 16, 2023 7:10:59 GMT -5
TURD TUESDAY This one has a small red jasper gastrolyth at three o'clock. These little red pebbles are dominant in the gastrolyths I find in the coprolites from this area. They are distinctive and I always wonder where they come from because I haven't noticed them in the landscape as loose pebbles lying about.
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 16, 2023 7:21:10 GMT -5
On my most recent field trip I happened to more closely examine some distinctive blocks of fine conglomerate that had cemented together. I noticed that it had alternating layers of coarse/fine pepples and sand indicating alluvial or beach layers segregated by water action. As I peered through the desert varnish I realized I found the source of the red jasper gastrolyths because it dawned on me that I was looking at petrified beach or alluvial layers contemporary to the layers I'm getting the coprolites from. Mystery solved.
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 16, 2023 7:22:04 GMT -5
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 16, 2023 7:22:59 GMT -5
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rockbrain
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Post by rockbrain on May 16, 2023 8:50:56 GMT -5
A coprolite alongside a cowpoolite - similar shapes Yes, the coprolites at 9 & 12 o'clock are similar to the cow poo in shape even though there's a time span of about 146 million years between the two. Some things don't change so much after a long time. I'm confused by this one. Aren't the coprolites at 3 and 6?
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 16, 2023 12:42:53 GMT -5
Yes, the coprolites at 9 & 12 o'clock are similar to the cow poo in shape even though there's a time span of about 146 million years between the two. Some things don't change so much after a long time. I'm confused by this one. Aren't the coprolites at 3 and 6? 12 & 9 from the hammer handle, and both in contact with the hammer.
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rockbrain
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Post by rockbrain on May 16, 2023 16:25:18 GMT -5
I'm confused by this one. Aren't the coprolites at 3 and 6? 12 & 9 from the hammer handle, and both in contact with the hammer. OK, that makes sense. I was just going by the whole pic.
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Post by agatewhisperer on May 16, 2023 19:05:26 GMT -5
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on May 16, 2023 19:48:14 GMT -5
Here's the latest turd off the saw. Biggest one I've cut so far. Strikes me how different all of them are. Whoa, that's beautiful. I had to look at it on two different monitors to make sure I was seeing the colors correctly. Love the way you cut it.
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